[X] Call out and ask them to identify themselves.
-[X] Be ready to retaliate with your Authorities, if they attack.
Being as I have no clue what ripple is, the tie is broken in favor of this one.
Stepping forwards, you call out "Hello?"
And then the strange shadowy figure moves forwa.. Oh, it's just that kid. Those headphones made his head look strange...
"Hey." He says with a wave. "You poked around back here to find out what that noise was too?"
"Pretty much." You agree. "Didn't really find anything though, guess we were to late. You're welcome to look yourself though. Well, unless the owner comes out and chases us off." He nods. "Hum.. Well, I'd still like a gander myself then. Have luck with whatever your doing?" He offers as he steps to the side to let you past easily. "You too." You agree as you pass him by.
--------Scenebreak!--------
Well, that could have gone a lot worse. For one, you could have found a monster. Still, finding nothing except those clawmarks.. is that really much better? Something is out there in the city that can climb walls and has claws like that.. you feel an urge to buy iron bars for your windows.
Still, hopefully you won't run into it. And anyway, you're almost at Alia's place, with her beloved tomato juice in hand. Now all you have to do is ring the doorbell...
Ding-Dong!~
....You wait a bit. Eventually the door window eyehole thing opens. "Oh, Hey." you hear Alia say from behind the door. "Finally done sulking in your apartment?" "I brought bribes." You inform her flat out as you wave the juice in front of the peephole.
Moments later you are in her living room as she's happily putting the stuff away. "So!" She calls from the kitchen "Finally ready to tell your friends what's been wrong, or come to beg my services in another way?"
[ ] Should you tell Alia about the whole murdered a god thing?
[ ] And what rumors should you ask about, anyway? (Strange lights in the park, Urban Bigfoot sightings, the rise in streetside doomsays including crazy signs, the ghost sightings, or the monster in the subways?)